Invalid s robe



(No Model.)

L. H. FIFIELD.

INVALIDS ROBE.

No. 459,106. Patented Sept. 8, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LIZZIE H. FIFIELD, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

INVALIDS ROBE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,106, dated September 8, 1891.

Application filed January 29, 1891. Serial No. 379,545. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LIZZIE H. FIFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manchester, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Invalids Garments; and I dohereby declare the follow ing .to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in sectional or composite garments, and particularly to night dresses or robes or similar articles of apparel worn by sick persons and invalids,1nalo or female, the object of the invention being to provide garments which will be made in several parts or sections, readily separable and removable from each other, in order that a soiled part may be readily and quickly replaced by afresh clean one without the trouble and difficulty of being obliged to remove the entire garment from a person who may be in extremely delicate condition and who might be occasioned much suffering, pain, or danger by the removal of the entire garment andthe reclothingin another, all of which is readily obviated by my improved garment, the parts of which can be replaced piece by piece from time to time as occasion may require and neatness and good treatment demand; and the invention therefore consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation of an invalids dress or robe or other garment constructed in accordance with my present invention. Fig. 2 is a partial rear view showing the detailed construction and arrangement of the several parts. Fig. is a partial detail front view showing the parts disconnected from each other and the detachable collar, dsc.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the different figures of the drawings.

This invention applies to an invalids dress made of any suitable and desirable materialsuch as cotton, linen, or other material-and made in any desirable form, it being generally in that of a robe or dress form having sleeves and collar, and the entire dress is con1- posed of sections which are connected together by buttons, cords, clasps, or other convenient and quickly and easily operated fastenings, so that these sections may be readily separated and removed from each other and the garment thus entirely taken apart whenever it is desired, or one portion thereof replaced with a fresh one, a new arm too in lieu of a soiled one, or a fresh collar, or a clean section of the dress proper replaced instead of one that may have been worn for some time.

A A denote two upright front sections of a long garment adapted to be worn by invalids, said sections comprising substantially thewhole of the front of the garment. Their inner or'ineeting edges may overlap slightly, as shown in Fig. 1, and are connected together by the vertical line of buttons at. of the garment (see Fig. 2 is composed of an upper section D and a lower section E, the back of the garment being thus divided horizontally into two parts, an upper and a lower, which parts are fastened together by means of cords or strings f,which run are through eyeletholes. Buttons may be used instead of these cords, if preferred, or any other mode of fastening may be adopted. The front section A has its outer edge connected to the adjoining edges of the back sections D andE by a series of buttons orother fastenings a (See Fig. 1.) The upper ends of the sections A and A and the adjoining edges of theupper rear section D are buttoned together by buttons (Z. (See Fig. 3.) The usual neck-opening may be provided with a collar C, (represented in Fig. 3 as separated from the garment and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in normal position at the neck,) said collar 0 being of any suitable form and provided, preferably, with button-holes 0, so that it may be buttoned upon the buttons with which the neck-opening is provided on the edges of the sections Aand A'and D, as shown in Fig. 3. Furthermore, %and B represent the arms. These are divided longitudinally,

and accordingly are provided with the longitudinalseriesofbuttons orfasteningsl), sothat when buttoned up they will form neat and completearms. (See Figs. land 2.) The inner ends of the arms 13 and 13' are buttoned into the armholes by means of the series of but- The rear tons or fastenings b and b respectively. In this way it will be seen that my improved garment for use by invalids, sick persons, or others is composed of parts which are readily connected together by suitable attaching means and are capable of being separated from each other with equal facility. If, for instance, the arm B should become soiled or disfigured or stained with medicine, or otherwise rendered uncomfortable to the wearer of the garment, it could be readily unbuttoned and taken off and a new arm substituted for it. Likewise the section E could be readily taken off and another one placed in position. It might be thought necessary to remove the section A. This could be done readily and a new section A placed in the same position and buttoned to the garment quickly and easily. All these separate removals and substitutions of fresh parts could be accomplished with but little trouble and disadvantage to the patient, Whereas if it were requiredto remove the entire garment much suffering might ensue and much peril and danger might pertain to such an operation. Therefore by the use of this garment comfort and cleanliness is increased and numerous advantages will be found accruing to both nurse and patient.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein-described improved article of manufacture, consisting in a sectional garment for the use of invalids, said garment having two upright front sections A and A, which comprise substantially the whole of the front of the garment and are adapted to be united along a vertical middle line, the upper rear section D and lower rear section E, said sections comprising the rear portion of the garment and adapted to be united along a horizontal middle line, said rear portion of the garment being connected at its edges with the aforesaid front portion of the garment, substantially as described, the longitudinallydivided arms connected removably wit-h the rest of the garment at the armholes, and the removable collar connected to the garment at the neck-opening, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, the herein-described sectional garment for use by invalids, consisting in the two upright front sections A and A, which comprise substantially the whole of the front of the garment and are buttoned together along a vertical middle line, the upper rear section D and lower rear section E, said sections being fastened together in a horizontal middle line by means of suitable cords f, and said sections comprising substantially the whole of the rear part of the garment, which part is connected to the front portion of the garment by means of suitable fastenings, substantially as shown, the longitudinally-divided arm B B, having the fastenings b, said arms being connected to the garment at the armholes by means of the fastenings b and b, and the removable collar secured to the garment at the neck-opening and provided with fastenings for connection thereto, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LIZZIE I-l'. FIFIELD.

Witnesses:

A. P. TASKER, BENJ. F. CLARK. 

